Veganize My Town is a movement started in the last few weeks, the long-held idea of Vegan Drag Queen Honey LaBronx. Several teams are forming around NYC, New Jersey and Westchester to advocate for more vegan options in their areas. Details aren’t out yet as to how exactly how that will happen, but think of the possibilities!

Back when JL started writing for this column, she often wrote about restaurants that would accommodate vegans. While my ideal restaurant experience is at a place that’s all vegan, it’s important to be able to eat with your friends and family, not all of whom are willing to go to an all-vegan place. Being able to eat in your community is important, too. It’s great when restaurants will accommodate a vegan, but it’s even more awesome when a vegan can order straight off the menu and get something more than salad and fries.

I am so excited for this project!

But you know what? Westchester does have some restaurants that are already doing a great job offering vegan options, so I think they deserve a shout-out. Sweet Grass Grill in Tarrytown, Global Grill at myong gourmet in Mount Kisco, Swadee House of Thai in Thronwood, Bhog in Pleasantville and Bareburger in Hartsdale are all examples of non-vegan restaurants serving vegan meals. I know there’s more out there, too!

So if we have restaurants in Westchester (and beyond) that are already bringing us good vegan food, why do we need more?

“What the world needs now isn’t necessarily more vegan restaurants. That would be lovely, don’t get me wrong. But what we need RIGHT here, and RIGHT now, is more vegan OPTIONS at the restaurants we have already. THAT is how we will make veganism seem more accessible to non-vegans, making a plant-based diet seem less foreign.”–Honey LaBronx

I know in my experience as a vegan in a non-vegan world, it feels like people are threatened by plant based eating. Like, it’s judgmental, or even silly. It’s not. Look, I would be really happy if everyone I knew went vegan, because I think it’s the right thing to do- but I’m not trying to take away your bacon. I just want you to eat more plants. They’re delicious.

If you’re interested in being part of the movement, and even bringing it beyond Westchester, to Rockland and beyond, check out the Veganize My Town Facebook page!

And while I think that this is a great idea for making plant-based options more accessible, I’m in agreement with Ms. LaBronx’s ulterior motive: “Secretly, this is just part of my master plan to make vegan pancakes available anywhere I go, any time I want them. Please don’t tell anyone!”

About Author

I Eat Plants columnist Jodie Deignan went vegetarian in 2004 and fully committed to veganism in 2007. By day she’s a psychiatric nurse practitioner and by night she spends a lot of time cooking delicious vegan food for herself and her friends. She’s a bit of a picky eater, with a special distaste for mushrooms, seaweed, raw tomatoes, and eggplant, though she’s discovered along the way she’s a little more open-minded than she once thought. She blogs at The Picky Vegan.